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This first lesson introduces the basics of chess such as  making eye-contact to show respect at the beginning and end of the chess game as well as turn-taking throughout the game. The lesson explains how to set up the chess board correctly, demonstrates the Pawn piece and introduces a fun mini-game to develop students’ understanding of the Pawn. The lesson uses whole-class discussion as a methodology to develop students’ understanding of respect before and after the chess lesson – see lesson plan and slides for more details.

Lesson Plan: Lesson Plan 1 – Respect – The Pawn

Lesson Slides: Lesson 1 Slides – Respect – The Pawn

Mini-Game Poster: The Pawn Game – Poster

Piece Demonstration Video: The Pawn Explained

Mini-Game Demonstration Video: The Pawn Game

The second lesson introduces a vital concept to young chess players – accepting defeat. The chess mini-games throughout the series of lessons are short so students experience many opportunities to taste victory and defeat. Students are encouraged to accept both in similar fashion. It is important students recognise that losing is a positive in chess as players who have lost usually played against a better opponent and have something to learn. In terms of chess content, the lesson introduces the rook – a vastly more powerful piece than the pawn.

Lesson Plan: Lesson 2 – Rook Challenge

Lesson Slides: Lesson 2 Slides – Accepting Defeat – The Rook

Mini-Game Poster: Rook Challenge Poster

Piece Demonstration Video: The Rook Explained

Mini-Game Demonstration Video: Rook Challenge

Mini – Game Poster: Rook v 5 Pawns

Bonus Mini-Game for Practice: Rook V 5 Pawns  

The third lesson challenges students to plan in chess – to think conditionally using “if” and “then”. The chess content introduces the Knight piece – a difficult piece for some students to get used to – before using the Radioactive Horse Poo game to reinforce understanding of the piece. After some practice with the mini-game the board becomes crowded with counters and demands that students begin to think two or three steps ahead or else they become trapped. The forward planning doesn’t always pan out as players expected but a bad plan is better than no plan at all!

Lesson Plan: Lesson 3 – Radioactive Horse Poo

Lesson Slides: Lesson 3 Slides – Planning Ahead – The Knight (Part I) 

Piece Demonstration Video: The Knight Explained

Mini-Game Demonstration Video: Radioactive Horse Poo

Mini-Game Poster: Radioactive Horse Poo Poster

Bonus Mini-Games for Practice:

1. O Lonely Knight – (mini-game poster here)
2. Stuck in the Mud Pawns

1. Bull Dog

Lesson 4 begins with a new (non-verbal) method to conduct a whole-class discussion. The three hand signals can be used throughout the week in other discussions also. The teacher is required to act as the discussion moderator or conductor but will result in a better flow of discussion.

Lesson 4 is also used to reinforce the tricky Knight pattern as well as using a mini-game to incorporate all three pieces taught so far. The core message of Lesson 4 is on skills of etiquette – when the game is over the players should take time to honestly reflect on the game, good moves made and where the game was won and lost. This offers opportunities for students to give and receive compliments.

Lesson Plan: Lesson 4 – The Dark Knight Game 

Lesson Slides: Lesson 4 Slides – Etiquette – The Knight (Part 2) 

Mini-Game Demonstration Video: The Dark Knight Game

Mini-Game Poster: Dark Knight Poster

Bonus resource:

Numeracy Puzzle: A Knights Tour (coming soon)

Lesson five focuses on the concept of teamwork. While this may seem odd given the traditionally individual nature of chess, the concept will be explored on the chess board where the Pawns can be shown to play together to overcome supposedly superior opponents. Teamwork is an important aspect of any chess club or group. Indeed, if your school plans to enter Ficheall.ie regional tournaments players will be entered in teams of eight which will encourage them to learn together and share their tricks and strategies with one another.

Lesson Plan: Lesson 5 – Teamwork – The Bishop 

Lesson Slides: Lesson 5 Slides – Teamwork – The Bishop

Piece Demonstration Video: The Bishop Explained

Mini-Game Demonstration Video: Bishops’ Rule

Mini-Game Poster: Bishops’ Rule Mini Game Poster

Bonus Mini-Games for Practice:

1. Bishop v 3 Pawns

1. Chess Without Royalty

Lesson six focuses on the concept of decision-making and no better time to do so alongside the game’s most powerful piece; the piece with so much choice – the Queen! Firstly, students will explore the decisions and choices they make both big and small in their lives. A simple tool to help students make decisions will be introduced – namely the chess points/value system – once students have had a chance to experiment with the focus mini-game. The lesson moves at pace and incorporates a warm-up mini-game for revision, a simple game to practice the Queen’s rules before students have the opportunity to apply the decision-making tool to a mini-game involving all chess pieces except for the King. Finally, students are asked to apply the decision-making tool to their everyday lives.

Lesson Plan: Lesson Plan 6 – Decision-Making – The Queen

Lesson Slides: Lesson 6 Slides – Decision-Making – The Queen

Mini-Game Poster: Team vs Queen Poster

Piece Demonstration Video: The Queen Explained

Mini-Game Demonstration Videos

Chess Without Royalty

Team v’s Queen

Target Chess (coming soon – see lesson slides for explanation)

Lesson 7 attacks the concept of patience. While this can initially be thought of as patience in waiting for an opponent to take their turn, the lesson focuses on developing students’ patience with themselves (impulse control). The lesson prompts students to wait and analyse the board; good chess players make a list of possible moves before deciding on the best move. The lesson also teaches students the rules of the King; a piece limited in terms of its mobility but is always the most important piece on the chess board (this will be explained in later lessons).

Lesson Plan: Lesson 7 – Patience – The King

Lesson Slides: Lesson 7 Slides – Patience – The King

Mini-Game Poster: The Hungry King Poster

Piece Demonstration Video: The King Explained

Mini-Game Demonstration Videos:

• Indoor Football

• A Knight’s Kingdom

Bonus Mini-Games for Practice:

• The Hungry King

• A King’s Escort

• Early Chess

With all six pieces taught through lessons 1-7 it is now time to understand the rules of how to win a real game of chess. This lesson begins with a discussion on safe and unsafe situations (a common SPHE topic) and links this to chess. This leads to introduction of the rules of check (an attack on the King) before outlining how to save the King using the CPR method. If no CPR options are available then the game is over and checkmate has been achieved!

Lesson Plan: Lesson 8 – Safe & Unsafe – CPR Method 

Lesson Slides: Lesson 8 Slides – Safe & Unsafe – CPR Method

Demonstration Videos:

• Check

Mini-Game Demonstration Videos:

• 3 Check Chess

This lesson begins by extending lesson 8’s CPR method to how students may respond to bullying or personal attacks from others; speak back, have a friend as a shield or move away. In this way students are shown that while chess can teach us how to behave in a positive manner (showing respect, working as a team, appropriate etiquette, etc.) it can also teach us how to react in times of difficulty and adversity; to demonstrate resilience.

The chess lesson further develops students’ understanding of checkmate through mini end-games, chess puzzles and Fast Forward Chess.

Lesson Plan: Lesson 9 –Resilience – Checkmate

Lesson Slides: Lesson 9 Slides – Resilience – Checkmate 

Demonstration Video: 

• CPR Method

• Queen & Rook v King End-Game

• Rook & Rook v King End-Game

Chess Puzzles:

• Example 1: Back-Rank Mate
• Example 2: The Glass Ceiling
• Puzzle 1 – White to move, mate in 1
• Puzzle 2 – White to move, mate in 1
• Puzzle 3 – Black to move, mate in 1
• Puzzle 4 – Black to move, mate in 1
• Puzzle 5 – White to move, mate in 1
• Puzzle 6 – White to move, mate in 1
• Puzzle 7 – White to move, mate in 2

Lesson 10 is the final lesson in this series of beginner chess lessons. If students know how all the pieces move and understand checkmate (how to win and lose a game of real chess), then they know how to play chess. Of course the world of chess goes much, much deeper, understanding checkmate is the access point. The level each person achieves in chess is then down to practice, practice and more proper practice.

This chess lesson uses construct-a-checkmate puzzles to conclude the teaching of checkmate before devoting the rest of the lesson to allowing students play (for many students) their first real game of chess for an extended period of time.

Lesson Plan: Lesson 10 – Practice – Real Chess

Lesson Slides: Lesson 10 Slides – Practice – Real Chess 

Construct a Checkmate Puzzles:

1. Task 1 (see slide 8 in PowerPoint above for solutions)
2. Task 2  (see slide 10 in PowerPoint above for solutions)

Bonus Resource: 

Lichess.org have excellent interactive lessons on different checkmate patterns here.